Shepard Relaxes
by TailsofElements
Summary: The war is over and Kaidan Alenko watches over his serious, no nonsense Commander. However, when the Commander finally relaxes, Kaidan is a little shocked at what he finds.


Kaidan sat beside the commander's hospital bed, his combat armor where he left it when he arrived earlier in the morning, in a messy pile in the corner. The Normandy had crashed on a planet while trying to make it through the relay to the rendezvous point as the crucible fired. The damages were minimal and EDI quickly had the ship space worthy again. Without the relay, it took them about two week to make it back with have to discharge it's drive core electrical charge to whatever planets they could find.

Shepard was found in the wreckage of the Citadel, already in the midst of repairs by the Geth by the time they got back. Once EDI made contact, Kaidan and the crew had rushed to see the Commander. Why he had geared up, he had no clue. No one had commented either. Subconciously he saw this as another mission. Priority: Make sure Shepard was alive. Everyone had left to check in with their different groups, Tali reporting to the Quarians, Liara checking in with her contacts and trying to gather what had happened in the last two weeks, and so on. Kaiden's team was in good hands, Jack had stayed planet side and in the aftermath, taken them under her wing.

Kaidan stared at the Commander's face. Sleeping, he didn't have the serious, no nonsense face the Commander was known for. He was always there for everyone but never beyond being a shoulder. Kaidan still remembers how the Commander shot down Liara and Tali, gently and calmly. Kaidan had never seen someone get shot down so…gracefully? That wasn't the right word but nothing changed between the Commander or Liara and Tali.

When they found the Commander, he was bloody and broken, kept alive by his Cerberus cybernetic implants. He hadn't woken since but the doctors said he was stable and recovering slowly. The amount of resources from the difference forces in the attack made his recovery remarkable, high end bone remodeling and accelerated cell repair would make Shepard bedridden till only next week and out of his slings and braces in two more weeks. If only he would wake up.

Kaidan will admit, but only to himself, he had a big case of hero worship for the man. Nothing romantic, Shepard was just too serious all the time. He never relaxed or laughed or told a joke beyond what it took for him to do his duty. Ashley had learned that quickly when she tried to engage him with banter on and off the battlefield. Kaidan wanted to know the Commander would be fine, and then he'd leave and get whatever messages the Council kept sending him. Admiral Hackett knew better once Kaidan cut him off hearing the news about Shepard.

"Major?" Kaidan jumped out of his thoughts a stared at Shepard looking at him with a confused look, "What happened?" Shepard's voice was surprisingly strong with only a hint of fatigue in it, like he just had a long nap and was shaking the sleep from his throat.

"How are you feeling Commander?" Kaiden asked first, worrying that the pain meds weren't enough.

"I feel fine. Tell me what happened." Always straight to business, "Last thing I remember is activating the Crucible. It should have fired, destroyed the Reapers and blew up the Mass Relays, while maybe caused some more technology to go a bit haywire. Am I about right?"

Kaidan smirked, "Yeah, they found you in the Citadel wreck. Normandy crash landed while going through the Relay to the rendezvous point but EDI repaired it real quick and we got back today. It's been about two weeks. They said the first day you were touch and go but since then it's just been the waiting game for you to wake up."

"So it's over?" Shepard asked, still focused on the war, not even caring about himself. Kaidan mentally shook his head at the stubborn man.

"It's over. War is over Commander Shepard," Kaidan told him with a smile. Shepard looked up at the ceiling and Kaidan watched as all the tension the man, the legend, usually held just melted away. He looked calm, weak and tired.

"Fuck yes!" The commander cursed throwing his arms in the air. He gasped in pain, "Fucking hell, that hurts. Kaidan, can you ask the nurse to get me some more pain killers. I feel like I went through a meat grinder." Shepard smiled at Kaidan, a big toothy white smile.

Kaidan was shocked. This was not the Shepard he knew. No longer had a serious look, a man without a care, completely relaxed. He even cursed. Shepard never cursed.

"Kaidan, if you don't close your mouth, I might have to put something in it," Shepard winked. Shepard _winked. _It took a moment for everything else to register. The major shut his mouth and blushed while Shepard laughed.

"Commander, are you okay?"

"Oh please Kaidan, call me John. We've worked together for years and now that this war is finally over, it's time to celebrate. Relax! Stop being a stick in the mud. Also, those pain killers would be nice," Shepard smile at him again. Kaidan stood up to find a nurse.

"And some food please! I'm starving!" Shep…John called after him as Kaidan tired to sort out what just happened.

With the Commander awake, everyone started to arrive. First Admiral Hackett and Admiral Anderson to debrief John which ended with the two men laughing loudly with Shepard while Kaidan sat outside. Then Liara who had quite a dirty, whispered conversation with Shepard about her boy, Feron, Kaidan guessed from what he overheard. Garrus and him had a long chat about how the battle went down, some of the language being used making Kaidan even turn red from how colorful they got. It continued as everyone else came to visit, his conversation with Jack being the worst. Shepard was different and no one seemed to notice.

Kaidan contacted Liara in a supply room on his omnitool when Shepard was sleeping. Kaidan expressed his concerns and Liara just brushed him off.

"John no longer has the weight of the world on his shoulders Kaidan. He isn't a soldier at the moment. He sees his work as done."

"Done? He's leaving the Alliance?" Kaidan panicked before getting confused at himself. Why should he care if the Commander retired?

"I didn't say that," Liara had a stern tone in her voice. "Kaidan, he's had to be this certain person since he became a Spectre. He did what he needed to do in order to win this war. He acted selflessly since this all began and now, it's over. He can be his old self. The Shadow Broker had quite a lot of files on John before he became a Spectre and you should remember a bit before Eden Prime. The guy in there is the real Shepard, I promise. Do you not like that he has finally relaxed?"

"No, no. I like it a lot, it's just…" Kaidan paused. He didn't know what the problem was. It was just, weird. Not the same, Shepard was different and it made him feel… "I just can't place it Liara."

Alenko could hear the disappointment in Liara's voice, "Well, I hope you place it soon Major. They aren't going to let you babysit Shepard forever. I must be off, there are some of my agents reporting in some food supply hoarding and I need to notify the Alliance. I'll talk to you later Kaidan." Kaidan sat for a moment after closing his omnitool, sitting on an upside down bucket and staring at the wall. Liara's closing words bothered him but why? He had his own life to restart now that the war was over. Why should he be upset about leaving Shepard?

"You weren't here when I woke up. I was worried you left me," Shepard…pouted as Kaidan walked back in.

"I had to make a call. I didn't want to disturb you Commander," Kaidan answered.

"For God's sake, call me John, Kaidan. I'm tired of hearing Commander and Shepard out of your mouth." Kaidan was taken aback. "What if all I called you was Major, or Alenko."

"That's what you did," Kaidan answered.

"That was then, this is now," Shepard smirked, "I know, old habits die hard but….say it once for me." Kaidan looked at him confused. "Please."

"Okay, _John._" Kaidan said. He liked the sound of it out of his own mouth. Shepard seemed to like it too.

"Finally!" Shepard laughed, "Okay Kaidan, I may be a bit of a train wreck when it comes to this and my mother always said I have a tendency to be blunt but, once I get out of this hospital bed, wanna go get a beer?"

"Can you even drink on pain meds?" Kaidan asked and Shepard just sighed.

"Kaidan, I'm asking you out," Kaidan just stared with a confused look on his face, "On a date."

"You want to go on a date with me?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes."

"Mr. I shot down Tali and Liara."

"I'm not into ladies."

"Mr. Serious."

"I wasn't that much of a stick in the mud."

"Mr. Reaperkiller."

"Hey, going out with the savior of the galaxy is pretty cool. Right?"

"Commander John Shepard, wants to go on a date with me?"

"No, John Shepard wants to go on a date with you," Shepard was waiting for a response from that face, "I've liked you for awhile Kaidan but with the war I didn't have the luxury-"

"Yes," Kaidan said, a big smile breaking across his face as everything fell in place. This Shepard…no, John is what he liked. The man behind the uniform, not the legend of a man. "I'd love to go on a date with you John." Shepard smiled brightly before getting really serious.

"So how drunk would I have to get you to get lucky too?" Kaidan looked dumbfounded before Shepard's serious look broke and he roared laughing. Kaidan smirked before leaning over and whispering in Shepard's ear, the Commander's eyes going wide and his breath hitching. Kaidan stepped back and enjoyed the blush that crept up John's face.

"Biotics can do that?" Kaidan laughed. Yup, Shepard was the man for him.


End file.
